The Japan tour by World Expeditions was exceptionally informative and adventurous and their itinerary was varied and off the tourist track in a small group.I did like having the flexibility option to miss some of the longer and more strenuous walks and take public transport and taking it easy as at times the trip was pretty go-ey with a few long days. I'm very glad I took 5 nights post trip to relax before returning home. The public transport system is very prompt and efficient and I'm glad I used a tour to navigate this for the first time as some of the train stations are overwhelmingly large and busy especially Tokyo as I arrived late at night and tired, however the station staff are very helpful!! The smaller cities like Osaka and Kyoto are easier. Google maps is very useful for this but you need international roaming or a Japan Sim card etc. I think some highlights were the smaller towns where we stayed at a Ryokan or smaller hotel and enjoyed a more interactive and cultural engagement and just strolling through the towns and shops.
We had a great trip to Japan, our guide Tatsuya was amazing and worked very hard to showcase his country, his knowledge of Shinto and Buddhism was very impressive. We particularly enjoyed the home stay and staying family owned accommodation. The trip gave us a well balanced taste of Japan from the cities to the rural areas and the culture, we achieved a lot.
Finished my Japan Intro trip today. Honestly am speechless had so much fun meeting the people in my group and especially my amazing guide Michelle (who is now prolly my best friend, along with a couple others in the group such genuinely nice people I love them all). The hand on experiences, the new culture you get to learn, the things you get to see are all just mind blowing. Compared to other travel groups I have done Intro is far above them, so much more information given prior to the trip and during the trip. My favourite experience is very hard to pick but Id have to say it was the days we spent in Nagano. Traditional country side of Japan was absolutely beautiful, learned origami and hot to make udon noodles by the cute locals, snow monkey experience was so adorable and lovely. If your thinking about doing a Japan trip just do it and make sure you do it with Intro.